What are some of the new treatments for sudden hearing loss?

Vitamin E may be good news for hearing loss victims.

It is one of the few new treatments for sudden hearing loss that modern science has developed in the last few years to help counteract the effects of this terrible condition.

Sudden hearing loss is commonly defined as loss that occurs in three days or less.

This type of hearing loss is almost always unexpected and the reasons for it are extremely difficult to pinpoint—the majority of cases are idiopathic, meaning their cause is unknown.

It is clear that more research in this field is required. Only about 10-15% of cases are ever accurately solved, and they involve a narrow range of diagnoses: metabolic, immunologic, neurologic, viral, and bacterial causes. This makes it difficult to develop new treatments for sudden hearing loss.

It has long been known, thanks to innovations in the field of animal research, that antioxidants can prevent long-term inner ear damage. Vitamin E seems to be particularly effective across the board in animal testing.

In cases where a definite diagnosis cannot be determined, this vitamin can support the body’s natural recovery and sometimes fully restore hearing capacity.

However, vitamin E is still classified as a treatment rather than a cure. It improves hearing ability for victims of sudden hearing loss but so far has demonstrated only average performance in achieving total recovery.

Its use as a new treatment for sudden hearing loss may be imminent, though. A study of victims who had lost their hearing within the last eight days showed that although vitamin E was significantly more effective than common remedies like inhaling steroids or carbogen, taking magnesium, or being confined to bed rest, it contributed only marginally to complete healing of the inner ear.

Still, researchers are motivated by the fact that vitamin E displays a significant advantage over other treatments. Each study participant was given 400 mg of vitamin E twice a day and the test group showed significant results. They recovered up to 78% of their hearing, while hearing loss victims who used conventional methods only recovered up to about 45%. To provide a reference point, scientists classified successful recovery as 75% or more.

For all intents and purposes, vitamin E may be considered a new treatment for sudden hearing loss. Scientists encourage victims of sudden onset hearing loss to treat their symptoms with vitamin E under the direction of a doctor. They intend to pursue this medical avenue to its conclusion.

Experts believe that they may be just a few steps away from finding a complete cure for idiopathic hearing loss, and that possibly by combining vitamin E with other antioxidants in varying doses they will crack the code.